The Hindu : New Delhi News : Becoming an Odissi danseuse was natural for me, says Kavita

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Becoming an Odissi danseuse was natural for me, says Kavita

— Photo: V.V. Krishnan

Kavita Dwibedi.

Danseuse Kavita Dwibedi , who founded the Odissi Akademi in New Delhi to promote Odissi dance, talks to Madhur Tankha about her fascination for this difficult dance form, her first performance, the ‘Jayadeva Ustav’ and her upcoming performance at the IITF.

She is on a mission to popularise the work of 12th Century saint-poet Jayadeva. Delhi-based danseuse Kavita Dwibedi is directing all her creative energies in hosting the upcoming “Jayadeva Utsav-2008” in the Capital.

She is one of the leading exponents of Odissi dance in the country.

“Being the daughter of veteran Odissi maestro Guru Harekrishna Behera, becoming an Odissi danseuse was a natural corollary for me. I was drawn into the profession at the age of eight. In 1960s, my father settled down in Delhi to give a fillip to Odissi. He was the first guru to introduce this classical dance form. As a child, I developed a fascination for Odissi primarily because of its grace, melodious music and the silver jewellery that dancers wore during performance.”

Reminiscing how her father used to conduct his classes at the Shanker Market, Kavita says observing him and other artistes inspired her to master this difficult dance form. “Initially, my father resisted my request to become his disciple because he wanted me to first complete my education. But my mother intervened and pleaded him. Finally, he concurred and took me in as a disciple.”

At the age of 12, Kavita gave her first performance at the Russian Centre of Science and Culture in Delhi. “That performance encouraged me to further improvise on my dancing skills. The reward for all the hard work paid off when I was honoured with junior and national scholarships by the government. I got an overwhelming response at the Konark Festival in 1992.”

Stating that she got inspired to popularise the Odissi dance form in the city only after meticulously going through Oriya poet Jayadeva’s epic poem “Geeta Govinda”, Kavita says: “Jayadeva had penned his poem in Sanskrit in such a lively and natural way that I got tremendously influenced by his thoughts and brilliant ideas. Beautifully depicting the divine love of Lord Krishna and Radha, Geeta Govinda is an important text in the Bhakti movement. We will highlight, propagate and popularise the life and work of Jayadeva in the upcoming sixth edition of the festival as he was one of the greatest poets the country has ever produced.”

The noted dancer says the idea of organising a festival on Jayadeva was the brainchild of Orissa’s Sangeet Natak Akademi’s secretary Sudha Mishra. “However Sudha got transferred. So I decided to single-handedly host the festival in Delhi. In 2002 the first edition of “Jayadeva Utsav” was organised at India Habitat Centre. I had invited accomplished singers from the Guru Vayur temple of Kerala to perform. This festival has now become an annual ritual for dance lovers. The main highlight is to see and enjoy how dancers specialising in Bharatanatyam, Kathak, Mohiniattam and other dance forms give their own interpretation to the epic poem. I have also introduced music and this year we will also see scholars deliberating on Jayadeva,” says Kavita, adding that the two-day “Jayadeva Ustav” will open at India Habitat Centre here on Monday.

This year, a National Award “Jayadeva Samman” has been instituted to honour Odissi musicologist Pandit Raghunath Panigrahi from Bhubaneswar. “This award has been designed to attract and inspire the new generation to take on the path of peace, harmony and brotherhood. A five-member jury headed by renowned litterateur Jagannath Prasad Das have done a commendable job to choose the winner.”

To promote Odissi dance form and music in their pure and classical style, Kavita founded the Odissi Akademi in Delhi in 1991. Kavita, who has developed a highly individual style of Odissi, will perform at Shakuntalam Theatre in Pragati Maidan on November 14 on the first day of India International Trade Fair. “I will be the first artiste to perform Odissi at the trade fair. Then I will give another performance at Satya Sai Auditorium the same day. It will be an amalgamation of Hindustani music and Odissi. It will be experimental,” says Kavita.

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